


Sleeping Beauty

by onceuponapenguin



Series: Curiosity AUs [1]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:26:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24120541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onceuponapenguin/pseuds/onceuponapenguin
Summary: Many thanks to shanastoryteller on Tumblr, whose beautiful writing inspired the style for this piece: https://shanastoryteller.tumblr.com/tagged/retold-fairytales
Relationships: Rory Vale/Kieran Valdis
Series: Curiosity AUs [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1740409
Kudos: 1





	Sleeping Beauty

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to shanastoryteller on Tumblr, whose beautiful writing inspired the style for this piece: https://shanastoryteller.tumblr.com/tagged/retold-fairytales

the truth is, the princess was an accident. 

you shouldn’t have another, the clerics had warned her parents. after the complications with the queen’s second pregnancy, a third would likely take both the mother and the child. but fate is an unforgiving mistress, and before they know it, Amelia’s legs are swelling and she’s rocked with nausea.

terrified, Edmund knows only one place to turn. the Immortals, powerful mages from the old world. who they are, how they acquired their powers, no one really knows--not even the Immortals themselves, it’s rumored. he asks for their aid. 

the first, Titian, simply sneers. spare time from his research for a petty human request? unthinkable!

the second, Owler, does not sneer, but neither will they help. 

“immortals don’t give aid. we make deals,” they say, “and that would be far more dangerous to your family than any risk in childbirth. go home.”

but Edmund won’t. 

the third Immortal receives him kindly. Roth listens, charming and patient and sympathetic, as the king explains his plight.

“don’t worry, your majesty. I know a way to save both the lady Amelia, and your unborn child.”

“and what would you ask in return?” asks Edmund, remembering Owler’s words. 

“only that you give me a place in your kingdom.” Roth sighs, pushing his glasses up his nose. “the other Immortals shun me. they believe I am too concerned with human affairs. but how can I see such suffering, and not at least try to help?”

“you shall have it,” Edmund promises.

* * *

the baby is born safe and sound, just as Roth had promised. a daughter. rumors fly about what she might be called--Arianna, for Edmund’s sister? Heather, for her grandmother?

a week after her birth, at the christening, Edmund stands before the court and announces her name. Aurora, from the arcane spell for light.

also at the ceremony are the land’s twin goddesses, Rivenna and Seraphina. the latter steps forward, fair-haired and dark-eyed.

“dear princess. my wish for you is a compassionate heart. may you, like your ancestors before you, be slow to anger, willing to show mercy to those who do you wrong.”

after she’s through, Rivenna steps forward. she is her sister’s foil, black hair flowing about her shoulders, her eyes grey and piercing.

“precious child. my wish for you is--”

but she’s cut off as a figure appears, and who else should it be but Roth? he demands that Edmund hand over his crown, in order to fulfill their bargain. 

“no--” Edmund’s mouth goes dry-- “no, you can’t ask me to--!”

“and why not? as I recall, you never specified exactly which position I would receive in your kingdom. and the position i wish to have…” the corner of Roth’s mouth curls up, “...is yours.”

the court waits with bated breath, and even Rivenna and Seraphina are paralyzed. they want to intervene but they can’t; they’re minor deities and he’s an Immortal; he has powers beyond even the scope of the gods and he’s already rigged this game in his favor; whether Edmund refuses or not, things are bound to end badly.

but of course Edmund refuses, because he must. he’s the king; it’s his duty to protect the people of Valenclair, even if it costs him his life. 

they feel their limbs lock into place. Roth approaches them; close; too close, and there’s a terrible smile on his face as he says,

“oh, not _your_ life, your majesty.”

Edmund and Amelia are helpless as Roth traces an arcane sigil over baby Aurora. _She will pierce her hand upon a spindle, and die._

he thinks he’s won. but Rivenna is her sister’s foil in personality as much as in looks. she is action is where her sister is thought; she is justice where Seraphina is peace. Rivenna pushes forward and says no; it’s not over yet. she can’t remove the curse, but she can alter it. Aurora will fall into a deep sleep, instead of death. a sleep that can only be broken by true love’s kiss. 

* * *

the princess is dead.

the news sweeps through Valenclair like a plague. shops are shuttered; gifts from the townsfolk pile up at Edmund and Amelia’s door. a headstone is commissioned for the tiny grave in the ruling family’s cemetery, near Rivenna’s tree. 

the truth, known only by a chosen few: the grave is empty.

“keep her safe,” Edmund whispers through tears, passing over the wrapped bundle. Beside him, Amelia’s jaw trembles with the effort of fighting back sobs.

the figure nods. In the dead of night, only a hint of silver-white hair peeks out from beneath their cowl, their dusky skin concealed by darkness.

“we shall do our best, your majesties.”

* * *

a decade passes. then two. princess Aurora becomes infamous in Valenclair history, the innocent babe killed by the wicked Immortal.

meanwhile, just beyond the kingdom’s borders, Rory grows up as the daughter of the local tavern owners. she helps her dad clean the bar; she helps her papa brew his whiskey. she loves dancing and swordfighting. she swears like a sailor, and her favorite flowers are roses.

she knows who she really is. her dads have told her. the king and queen--her family, they remind her--send secret gifts every year on her birthday, delivered by the same crew of good-hearted misfits and rogues who smuggled her out all those years ago. but it all feels more like some distant, far-off dream, or possibly a nightmare. 

“as soon as your family finds a way to break the curse, you’ll be able to go home,” they say. but when Rory thinks about going back to Valenclair, her mind fogs and her hands shake, and sinister whispers echo in her ears. she can’t go back.

then, one evening, the tavern’s bell jingles, and a young man walks in. tall, with brown skin and black hair and gentle eyes, the kind that invite you to settle back like a comfy chair after a long day’s work. she’s learned the hard way not to smile at customers, but with him, she can’t help it. she watches the young man as he orders some stew and eats; watches as he gives nothing but a kind word to the wanker who reaches over and steals his untouched whiskey.

then, there’s a crash. at the bar, a goliath leaps to his feet, reaching across the counter to her dad, who’s serving drinks. in one swift motion, the beast grabs Farley and chucks him across the room, where he smashes into a table. the _crack_ of his leg breaking echoes through the tavern.

next thing she knows, Rory is up in the beast’s face, screaming, swinging her greatsword. but he’s too big and too strong and completely drunk off his ass, and she can’t possibly win, she’s only one girl--

a blade whistles in the air. another. the beast stumbles backwards, blood waterfalling from two clean slices in his chest. the dark-haired young man steps forward, twin swords poised.

“if you would fight an unarmed man, take your cowardice out to the street, where it belongs!”

the beast isn’t willing to give up the fight, but together they bring him down. the other patrons clap as Rory and the young man drag the brute out into the street, leaving him in the snow. then it’s a whirlwind of running for the healer and closing the bar and tending to Farley, and it’s nearly morning when Rory finds herself staring down into an exceptionally large glass of whiskey, the young man sitting beside her.

his name is Kieran, he tells her. from Althenay, the kingdom next door to Valenclair. 

“that was incredible, what you did,” he says. “i’ve rarely met anyone so brave.”

“oh, um…thank you,” she says.

“didn’t it ever occur to you that you could be hurt? that giant of a man must have been three times your weight. cygna knows what he would’ve done to you.”

“i don’t care. dad was in trouble. what else was I supposed to do?”

“well, there are many in this world who wouldn’t risk their own skin, even for their kin. It’s an admirable quality.”

“thank you. and, I never said—thank _you_ for stepping in. looking back on it, I probably shouldn’t have taken that bastard on alone, but I--I just do the stupidest shit sometimes when I’m mad, you know?”

he nods. they continue talking until morning, trading stories. he offers to stay, to help run the inn until Farley’s leg heals. it’s a kindness, so great that at first Rory can’t believe what she hears. but there’s such an aura of sincerity about him, and he looks at her with such _hope._ something in her heart flutters. she agrees.

* * *

even after Farley’s leg has healed, Kieran stays.

he cleans the bar to spare Rory from her least-favorite chore. she teaches him how to dance. they spar in the backyard almost every day. it was his idea to plant the roses that now flourish outside the tavern’s front windows. as the blossoms grow, so does their friendship.

eventually, Kieran confesses his secret. he’s not merely a traveller from Althenay. he is, in fact, the former crown prince, framed by greedy usurpers for a crime he didn’t commit. 

and Rory is stunned, and even though her dads’ strictest rule is _never, ever tell,_ she’s drawn to Kieran in a way she’s never felt with anyone. they’ve both been pawns in someone else’s scheme; they’ve both been torn away from their former lives through no fault of their own. so she tells him her secret, too.

and he’s just as stunned as she was, but nothing changes. he still looks at her the same way; he still groans at her terrible puns; he still needs to feel her arms wrapped around him after he’s had a nightmare.

nothing changes, until everything changes.

* * *

slowly, slowly, friendship’s petals continue to unfurl, until they finally reveal the deep gold at the center of the flower. 

she knows. of course she knows. she’s known for awhile. but somehow, it’s still a shock when Kieran confesses his feelings to her, his voice strained with nerves, but not a shred of doubt. _I love you._

and Rory wants to say yes; oh gods; Rivenna; yes; _yes; I feel the same--_

\--but she’s Aurora. the long-lost princess of Valenclair. even though she feels like more of a tavern girl than a princess, she’s still cursed, and if they’re together, he’ll be in danger. and she loves him; she loves him more than words can say; she loves him more than she’s ever loved anyone in the entire fucking world. and so she grits her teeth and blinks back tears and turns him down.

he’s hurt. betrayed. he immediately moves out of her room at the tavern and into one of the guest rooms. she muffles her agonized sobs into her pillow.

shortly afterward, Kieran decides to make a journey to the Twin Cities. there’s a vast library there, and he’s always loved books. perhaps he’ll find something there about her curse.

the farewell is painful. and then the tavern feels empty, and Rory almost longs for the curse to come true. 

* * *

they write back and forth. Rory tells him about life in Badger’s Drift; he tells her about his adventures with his travelling companions, a fire genasi named Lian and a changeling named Tec. Tec’s name sounds familiar, though she can’t think why.

then, they get the news about the Imperium.

Niveus, the elven empire to the north, is moving on Valenclair. the commander of Valenclair’s army is dead; Edmund gravely wounded. the kingdom is being overwhelmed. people are scattering, fleeing. 

and Rory knows it’s time.

her dads plead with her to stay. but she has to go. her hands may be shaking so badly that she can barely grip her sword; she may be only one girl against an empire of thousands; she may know more about serving drinks than diplomacy, but these are her people and she refuses to stand aside and watch them suffer a terrible fate. she rides north, finds her family, and places herself at the forefront of the fighting. and the people of Valenclair rally, because it’s impossible; the long-dead princess suddenly alive!!! and it’s impossible that they, a tiny town, should defeat an Imperium, but hope gives them courage, and they rally, and they push the Imperium back into the north.

Edmund and Amelia are overjoyed. their Rory is _here,_ grown-up, beautiful! and if she goes by a different name and prefers whiskey to tea and swears almost as often as she draws breath, that’s okay because she’s here, their beloved daughter, and she’s alive. 

but then. as the post-battle hush breaks; as the town begins to pick up the pieces; as plans for rebuilding are made; as joy over victory drowns out all other thought--

Rory retires to her room, the same one which her family has kept empty for her all this time. and someone is there.

she’s never seen Roth. still, she knows it’s him--that gentle smile; that voice that makes her stomach turn over and her memories tremble. he speaks to her like an uncle with his favorite niece, congratulating her on the battle.

“you were incredibly brave coming back here, my darling. it’s truly a shame that your parents will have to lose their daughter yet again.”

she has no sword, no magic, no weapon. Roth produces a spindle, gleaming and sharp. she refuses, standing firm, but he simply smiles. either you submit, he says, or your beloved dies.

Rory’s breath catches in her throat. Roth conjures a vision of Kieran, chained in his dungeons.

“well, darling?” he says. “what will you choose?”

and there’s no choice, not anymore, because it’s _Kieran,_ and she loves him. she knows in the back of her mind that Roth will swoop in and take Valenclair as soon as she’s asleep; the kingdom will fall when their savior does. she knows she should refuse, but she loves Kieran and the guilt is like a dagger in her chest, because none of this would have happened to him if it weren’t for her. so she reaches out and touches the spindle. 

sleep breaks over her like a wave, and she collapses. Roth’s triumphant laughter wakes the servants, who wake her parents, and there’s screaming and sorrow and despair. 

meanwhile, far away, in a filthy cell, Kieran looks up to see a dark-haired, grey-eyed woman standing over him.

“go to Rory,” Rivenna says, breaking his chains with her magic. he hurries to Valenclair, but by the time he gets there, he’s too late. she’s asleep, and her family meets him with red eyes and tear-stained cheeks. but when he explains who he is and what he and Rory had shared, their faces brighten.

“true love’s kiss,” says Edmund. “it’s the only remedy. do you think…?”

Kieran is taken aback. it won’t work; it can’t possibly work; but as he sees Rory laying there, as he sees the hope on the faces of her family, he knows he has to try. he bends down, cupping her cheek in his hand. he presses a chaste kiss to her lips, and pulls away. 

a moment passes. they hold their breath.

and! her eyes flutter! she draws in a short breath and opens them all the way, and when she sees Kieran, she breaks down, throwing her arms around him.

“Kieran, I’m sorry; I’m so sorry--!”

and he laughs, because yes; she _did_ hurt him, but he forgives her, and he tells her so. she tells him she loves him, and he says he loves her too, and they hold each other tight while Edmund and Amelia engulf them both in hugs and celebration rings through the town. 

but their job isn’t over yet. the kingdom can’t live in peace until they’ve finally put an end to Roth. in the course of his research, Kieran found out how to kill an Immortal. you need a magic weapon. the next morning, Rory finds an enchanted sword on her pillow, the hilt as black as Rivenna’s hair, the blade engraved with her name. as she holds it, she can feel the goddess’ justice coursing through her.

Kieran and Lian and Tec come with her. together, they hunt Roth down. Rory drives her sword through his chest, looking him in the eye, making sure he sees that she is _alive._

they return to Valenclair. she gradually gets to know her family: Violet, her quiet, book-loving sister; Gavin, her spirited prankster of a brother; her mum Amelia and her father Edmund. Lian and Tec decide to stay. Rory clicks with Lian almost immediately, with his dry sarcasm and his love of drink. Tec, with their infinite wisdom, becomes Rory’s most trusted advisor as she learns the ins and outs of ruling. they all work together to expose the corruption in Althenay, and restore Kieran’s crown to him. 

eventually, once he’s back on his throne, Kieran asks for her hand. they’re married and Rory becomes queen of Althenay, and the two kingdoms live in harmony for years to come. they occasionally go back to Valenclair and visit Gavin as he reigns, and when their children are born, they go along.

and they all live happily ever after.


End file.
